Muscle confusion is probably one of the most annoying myths I hear, the number of “professional bodybuilders” and “personal trainers” who tell you to constantly switch up your workout routine in order “confuse” the muscle so it will grow!

Often times you are told to change up your exercises, workout routine, weight selection or number of reps/sets in an attempt to trick that muscle into becoming bigger and stronger.

The only “confusion” in my opinion is the lack of understanding of how muscles becomes stronger. To increase muscular strength and size you must utilize the progressive resistance method, whereby you make small increments in weight once your muscles can handle a given number of repetitions for a given number of sets of an exercise.

To give you a quick example of progressive resistance – Let’s assume you can almost squat 200lbs for 3 sets of 10 reps, on the first and second sets you manage 10 repetitions, however on the third set you only manage 8 repetitions. The next workout when you perform squats you manage 10 reps across all 3 sets, this means you became stronger. Also because you manged 10 reps across all 3 sets you must increase the weight the next time you squat. The weight increase will depend on the exercise and how close you are to genetic potential, but for squat you could go up 5lbs, maybe even 10lbs.

So, only by using this method of progression can you achieve strength and size gains. When you think about it, it’s quite a simple process. So as Kelly Johnson once said – “Keep it simple, Stupid!”

Why Muscle Confusion Doesn’t Work

Muscle confusion doesn’t work because your muscles have no idea what you are doing, they don’t care if you are performing dumbbell curls one day and barbell curls the next. The most efficient way to build muscle strength is by adding incremental loads to facilitate the adaption process. To constantly increase the weight for a given exercise you must continue performing that exercise, by using muscle confusion to change up your routine means you almost start all over again with progress.

Muscle confusion makes it very difficult to keep track of results, how will you know if your making progress if you are constantly changing things, the answer – you won’t.

There are a few people in my gym that moan and groan why their not seeing any size gains in my legs, So I ask them: Well, what can you squat for 10 reps? Their answer is usually along the lines of: I don’t know, last time I did it I think I managed 10 reps with 160lbs, but I can’t honestly remember. Because they are not staying consistent or writing it down they have no idea if they are making progress.

To Summarize

Stick to a workout routine that works for you, make sure your routines primarily consist of compound exercises and utilize the progressive resistance method at all times. If you need help creating a routine checkout my workout routines section.

If you have been lifting weights for a number of years or even if you’ve just started you may be familiar with the two most common training routines: Full body workout routines and split routines.

There is continuing debate about which training routine will build muscle and increase strength faster, with pros and cons of both methods.

I believe the method you choose will ultimately depend on your training goals, available time and current training level, but before I go into more detail I would just like to explain both methods:

• A Full Body Routine is where you workout every major muscle group in one workout. For example: back, chest, legs, triceps & biceps in one workout. Full body workouts are usually performed 3-4 times per week and it’s recommended that  they consist primarily of compound exercises rather than isolation exercises.
• A Split Routine is where you workout one or more muscle groups in one workout, for example: back and biceps one workout, then chest and shoulders the next workout. Split routines are performed 3,4 or even 5 times per week and it usually takes 3-4 workouts to cover all major muscle groups.

Full Body or Split Routine

Before I go into the benefits of both training methods I want to make one thing absolutely clear:

“Both training methods will build muscle and increase strength!”.

That’s right, both methods will work, because the key to building muscle and increasing strength is not just in the program design, it’s by using the progressive resistance method. Progressive resistance is where you gradually increase the weight, sets or repetitions for a given exercise. So whether you do a split routine or a full body workout it won’t make much difference if you aren’t progressively increasing the resistance as the body adapts.

Now it’s time to look at the benefits of both training methods so that you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you:

Full Body Workout Benefits

1. Higher Frequency Per Muscle Group – Because you are working the same muscle groups 3-4 times per week it means you will stimulate more growth, and more growth means more size & strength.
2. Compound Exercises – For a full body routine to be completed in an efficient amount of time it must consist of compound exercises, doing this will allow you to target all major muscle groups in under 90 minutes, by performing only 6-7 exercises per workout.
3. More Energy Expended Per Workout – When you perform a full body workout every major muscle group is exercised, therefore you burn more calories and use up more energy compared to a split routine.
4. Higher Depletion, Greater Compensation - A full body workout uses a lot of energy, therefore more micro-trauma occurs in the muscle, your muscles will be depleted of glycogen and you will have degradation of proteins. This leaves the body in a state of higher anabolism, so if you are fueling the body with good proteins and carbohydrates following a full body workout a super-compensatory effect will happen. Put simply this means more growth!
5. Strong Foundation – By working the body as a unit you are building a strong foundation, this is more important if you are a novice who has just started lifting, because your goal should be to build a strong back, legs, chest, arms and core.
6. Missed a Workout, Don’t Worry - Because the same muscles are worked out 3-4 times per week missing a workout is no big deal. However if you miss a workout with a split routine it could be a week before you workout the same musle again.

Benefits of a Split Routines

Now that you have an understanding of the benefits of full body workouts it’s time to understand the benefits of split routines.

• Less Fatigue Leading to Greater Intensity – Because a split routine is less demanding and because you only workout one or two mucle groups per workout you will be able to work the targeted muscles to a higher intensity. With a full body workout only one group is exercised once per workout, but with split routine the same muscle is exercised 2,3 or even 4 times in the same workout. The benefit of this will lead to better size gains for the targeted muscle, so if you have a weak area of the body a split routine targeting that muscle will help improve it.
• Less Chance of Overtraining – Split routines do not consume as much energy as full body workouts, therfore you have a much smaller chance of overtraining, unlike you do with full body workouts, wich can, if not properly planned can lead to overtraining. Split routines allow you to workout intensly in a shorter amount of time, usually under 60 minutes, which means you won’t feel exhausted at the end of every workout and on your rest days. The end result means you will be more likely to enjoy working out and going to the gym, which means you are more likely to stick at it.

Summary

So, if you like training to a high intensity, want to build all round size and strength and can dedicate 1-2 hours per workout, 3-4 times per week then full body workouts are the most suited option for you.

If however you like taxing a muscle group and can only dedicate 45-60 minutes per workout and 3-4 workouts a week then split routines are better suited for you.

So just remember, both methods will increase your size & strength, it’s really down to personal preference which one you choose, good luck with your training!

I recently made a post about 10 ways to improve grip strength, in this post I mentioned one of the most important ways to improve your grip strength by chalking the hands. If you have been lifting weights for some time you should understand the importance of good grip strength, it’s paramount when it comes to heavy compound exercises such as deadlift, pull ups, rows, chins etc, which is why weight lifting chalk (sometimes referred to as gym chalk) is so important.

When you lift weights even the slightest amount of sweat in the palm of your hands can negatively affect your grip, causing you to finish a set early because of poor grip and not because of muscular fatigue. This is especially true on hotter or more humid days, or if you are like me you may sweat more than most people, making chalk an essential accessory to your gym bag.

Using chalk on your hands keeps the palms dry, which means you won’t build up sweat in the palm of your hands and affect your grip strength thus allowing you to successfully perform a set to momentary muscular failure.

Chalking the hands is more important when it comes to pulling movements (such as deadlift, pullups, cleans, barbell rows etc) where grip strength is crucial to perform the movement correctly.

Chalk should also be used for pushing movements such as barbell bench press, upright dips, lat pull downs etc, because sweat buildup in the palm of your hands will cause your hand position to move as you progress through the set, this can ultimately put you off balance and even cause an injury.

I experienced this myself just last week performing a set of bench press, like an idiot I forgot my chalk, mid way through my second set of bench press my grip started to slip around the 7th repetition, causing me to fail on the 10th repetition rather than the 12th like I normally do. Had I of remembered my chalk my hands wouldn’t have slipped and I sure would have made 12 reps.

Chalk allows you to lift heavier weights, if you are going for a personal best 1 rep max then using chalk allows you to lift or push the weight keeping your grip steady. To give you an example, I can lift about 5% more on my deadlift 1RM when I use chalk, it could all be in the mind but hey it works!

Now you have an understanding about how important it is to use chalk when you lift weights, I will now explain the different types of chalk and their pros and cons.

Powdered Chalk

The most commonly available chalk is powdered chalk, which is made from magnesium carbonate. Powdered chalk is most commonly used by rock climbers, gymnasts and weight lifters. Powdered chalk is sold in a few different forms: loose chalk powder, chalk balls, chalk blocks, eco balls, chalk in socks or bags (used primarily by rock climbers).

Powdered chalk is the fastest way to coat your hands but unfortunately it does make a mess of the equipment you use and the surrounding area, making more cleaning work for the staff at your gym. It is also not good for air conditioning units, which is why most health clubs do not allow powdered chalk.

Amazon sell different types of powdered chalks ranging from single packs for under $10 to multi-packs to around $25, see their range of gym chalks here

Powdered chalk should definitely be your first choice, but If your gym does not allow the use of powdered chalk there is an alternative solution that provides similar benefits without making the same mess, its called “liquid chalk”.

Liquid Chalk

Liquid chalk is made from aluminum chlorohydrate, the same stuff that’s used in deodorants and antiperspirants. Liquid chalk comes in a plastic bottle, its white in color and is quite thick, almost like a paste. Once applied to your skin liquid chalk dries between 10-20 seconds.

Usually a pea sized amount on each hand is just the right amount to provide a decent grip without covering your hands in a tick layer of chalk.

Liquid chalk is a good substitute if your gym does not allow powdered chalk, but the properties of liquid chalk means its not as effective as powdered chalk, so only use liquid chalk if your gym does not allow powdered chalk.

My own experience of using powdered chalk is that it does help when lifting to improve grip strength, but it has to be regularly applied, because it soon rubs off the barbells or dumbbells, I find powdered chalk stays on your hands longer than liquid. Also liquid chalk costs a little more than powdered chalk.

Liquid chalk isn’t commonly sold by sporting good stores so its probably best to buy it from Amazon.com, I own liquid grip 1.5oz which Amazon sell for under $10.

Chalk Etiquette

It should be obvious that when using chalk you apply an average amount to the palms of your hands, I find the best way to apply chalk is by rubbing it into your hands and then patting your hands together, which frees any lose pieces.

Removing excessive chalk from your palms is essential because too much chalk is worse than an average amount, especially if you do a lot of barbel lifting. If you have too much chalk on your hands and regularly perform barbell exercises chalk can get stuck in the knurl (grip) of the barbell, severely reducing your grip on the bar. So always make sure you apply an adequate amount of chalk to the palms.

Chalk is also useful for certain exercises, such as heavy squats or cleans. Often when performing these exercises it can be beneficial to place chalk on your upper back (for back squat) and the front of your shoulders (for cleans) this prevents the barbell from slipping during the exercise.

One of the most debated topics between weight training enthusiasts is the discussion about which method is better to build muscle and increase strength: free weights or machines.

Some people are in favor of machines whilst others are in favor of free weights, because of this I have decided to list the pros and cons of both methods. But before I go into the pros and cons I would like to explain my definition of a free weights and machines.

Free Weights: A free weight is a device that moves in a three dimensional pattern, which basically means the user has complete control over the movement of the weight. Examples of this would be a barbell, a pair of dumbbells, or a machine where the handle is connected via a cable, such as a lat pull-down machine or a cable machine. Some people would class a cable gym as a machine but I don’t, simply because it allows 3 dimensional movement, even though its not the same range of movement as a dumbbell or barbell its still three dimensional movement.

Machines: A machine is a device that moves in a two dimensional pattern, whereby it is fixed in a position that does not allow the user to control the direction of the movement. A perfect example of this would be a leg extension machine, where the user simply lifts the weight up and down on a fixed point.

Free Weight Pros & Cons

I may seem a little biased towards free weights because I use them in my every day training for the past 10+ years. However as you can clearly see the pros of free weight training far outweigh the pros of using machines.

Pros

• Compound Exercises: The key to building muscle mass and strength is by performing compound exercises, to get the true benefits from a compound exercise you need to use stabilizing muscles, which can only be achieved by using free weights.
• Learn Good Technique: To learn how to perform exercises properly you need to use free weights to understand how to correctly move a weight through its range of motion, you cant learn technique if the machine is doing part of the movement for you.
• Burn More Calories: With free weights you use stabilizing muscles to control the weight, because more muscles are involved more energy will be expended, which means you will burn more calories using free weights, especially if you perform exercises that cannot be done on a machine, such as the deadlift.
• Makes You Stronger: Because stabilizing muscles are used to perform free weight exercises they become stronger, because the stabilizing muscles become stronger the muscle you are targeting also becomes stronger, which means you will will make faster progressions using free weights.
• Increase Weight In Smaller Increments: The key to successful progression in weight training is by gradually increasing the weight or number of reps for a given exercise, this is basically how we get stronger and bigger. Free weights allow you to increase the barbell by small increments (sometimes by 2.5lbs), so that you can increase the weight whilst still maintaining a good rep range. Machines usually go up in 10lb increments, which is generally too high a jump for most people.
• Use Your Natural Position: When you perform a free weight exercise you have complete control the movement, this movement allows your body to stay in its natural position for the given exercise. Whereas machines force you into a guided pattern that might not be your natural movement pattern, which can often make the exercise feel uncomfortable.
• Improves Balance & Coordination: You have to stay balanced and coordinated when moving a free weight, the heavier the weight gets the more stable balanced and coordinated you naturally become. With machines you do not need to concern yourself with balance and coordination, whilst this may sound like a bonus it is not, especially if you lift weights to improve for a sport.
• Cheaper alternative: If you train at home or looking to purchase free weights then you are in luck, free weights are more cost effective in comparison to complex weight machines. A set of barbells, dumbbells and a power rack would cost around $1,000 $1,500 and would allow you to perform hundreds of exercises. Whereas the average machine will cost around $2,000 and limit you to the number of exercises that can be performed, you would be lucky to get more than ten exercises out of a mutli-gym

Cons

Machines Pros & Cons

I’m not knocking machines, there are  times when a machine comes in handy. I have in the past used a machine when I sustained a minor shoulder injury and could not use free weights without being in pain, the machine helped me to carry on working through an injury until I was ready to use free weights again.

Pros

• Safer Than Free Weights: Machines are much safer than free weights, because firstly if you fail to lift the weight you wont be crushed by a heavy barbell, the machine simply drops back to the starting position, secondly you can’t drop any weight plates on your feet.
• Good For Novices: If you are a complete novice and have not lifted weights before, than weight machine will help you get use to lifting weights, whilst you learn the basic exercises as safely as possible. If you are a novice I recommend training on machines for no longer than 3-4 weeks, this should be plenty of time to start learning free weight exercises.
• Can Train Without a Spotter: Free weight exercises, such as barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press etc generally require a spotter to help when you begin to fatigue. With weight machines you don’t need a spotter, because if you fail with a weight the machine just drops back to the start position.
• Good If You are Injured or Recovering From Surgery: If you are injured or recovering from surgery then chances are you won’t be able to perform exercises with free weights. The good news is you will be able to perform exercises with a machine and this is because a lot less stress is placed on the muscles using a weight machine.

Cons

• Puts Pressure on Joints: Using machines such as a chest press machine or smith machine place a lot more pressure on your joints, this is because the alignment of these machines keeps your joints in a fixed position, which for most people is unnatural. If you think of a bench press for example, your elbows do not stay in a straight line, the bar path moves slightly because this is the natural movement of the shoulders.
• Takes Longer to Build Muscle & Increase Strength: Because you are not working the stabilizer muscles it takes a lot longer to gain strength and size when using machines.

Conclusion

From the above pros and cons it should be obvious when it’s appropriate to use machine weights and when to use free weights. I strongly recommend that free weights should be used primarily throughout your workout routine and only use a machine if you are a complete novice or suffering from an injury or recovering from surgery.

Working out several times a wee can be tough for most of us, it requires dedication, mental focus, a good diet and it must of course be enjoyable. But sometimes we all make common mistakes that can be detrimental to our workout routines, costing us lost muscle gain, early fatigue, or even cause us to burn out mid way through a workout.

Here is a list of the most common mistakes (in order of importance) we have all made at one time or another, I suggest you take notice and see if any of them apply to you, if they do you need to correct them now:

1. Not Having a Workout Routine

Nobody would go to the gym and randomly lift weights on a bunch of exercises in no logical order and without making a note of the weight they lifted and the number of reps completed, would they? Unfortunately people do, I have seen it time and time again, guys coming in and going from machine to machine, exercise to exercise, never making a note of what they did.

How can you expect to get stronger, bigger or more powerful if you never use a workout routine or write it down? The answer is: YOU CANT

If this is you, you must make a workout routine and you must write it down, the exercise you performed, the weight you lifted and the number of repetitions completed, I have a section dedicated to workout routines where you can download free workouts, so now you have no excuse  see my section on workout routines

2. Poor Pre & Post Workout Nutrition

Before a workout you need an adequate supply of energy to fuel your workout, for most of us this would be a protein shake, Creatine shake, or a small 200-300 calorie protein/carb mix, usually consumed 60-90 minutes before a workout. For the post workout meal this would normally be a carb/protein meal sometimes consumed with a protein shake.

Of course everyone is different in what they consume before and after they workout, but not consuming the right type of food or supplements before and after a workout will be detrimental to your routine.

I have spoken to people in the gym who have eaten chocolate bars, bags of chips etc. One guy even had an energy drink before working out as he, and I quote “hadn’t eaten much that day”. How can you expect to build muscle, increase strength or power if you don’t get the proper nutrition your body needs! If this is you, you need to rethink your pre & post workout meals and maybe even take a close look at your diet, for more information see my section on bodybuilding diet.

3. Talking Too Much

Rest between sets is a crucial factor of your workout routine, not enough rest and you can burn out to quickly, too much rest and you can warm down and run the risk of injury, especially when lifting heavy.

Too much talking between sets is okay, providing you are aware of rest times, unfortunately this never tends to be the case, most people use the gym as a social outlet to chat with their friends. If you train alone or with a partner use your rest time to get mentally focus for the next set, and if you can time your rest between sets just do it, don’t just stand there chatting BS.

4. Not Warming Up

Warming up is essential in getting your joints, muscles and mind ready to lift a weight, and this is even more important if you are performing heavy compound exercises such as the deadlift, barbell bench press or full squats.

Now when I say warm-up, I don’t mean run on the treadmill or cycle for 5 minutes, I mean perform the exercise for 3-5 warm-up sets until you are ready to begin your working set. For more information see my section on how to warm-up with weights

If you don’t warm-up correctly you increase the chances of injury, which would of course be detrimental to your workout and could cost you up to a month of working out, so always, always, always warm-up

5. Not Stretching Between Sets

There is a time to stretch your muscles, and this is between your sets. Stretching between sets can prevent injury to the muscle you are working, it will also make you stronger when you perform the next set.

Conclusion

As I said, we have all been guilty of one or more of the above mistakes, if you did any of them recently you need to be concious of them the next time you workout. If you can think of any other mistakes that cost workout time please leave a comment and if it’s a good one I will add it to this post

Anybody who lifts weights should know the importance of protein consumption as part of their training, and one of the best natural sources of protein is cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is regularly consumed by weight trainers due to its high content of casein protein and low caloric content, making it the ideal food to consume before bed.

But why is cottage cheese such a good choice for those of us who train with weights and what is in cottage cheese that makes it such a good bodybuilding food? I have created a quick list of cottage cheese benefits below:

• High in Protein - Cottage cheese has a high protein content, making it the ideal snack between meals for all those trying their best to build muscle
• Contains Casein Protein – Cottage cheese is high in casein protein, casein is absorbed slower in the digestive system, which means protein is available in the body compared to whey protein, this makes cottage cheese the best source of natural protein to consume before bed time.
• Low Fat – Most cottage cheeses are low in fat, which is obviously a good thing.
• Low in Calories – A low number of calories per cup is good for those looking to lose weight whilst at the same time increasing muscle mass. If however you are trying to bulk you could always buy normal cottage cheese and eat it with wholegrain bread
• Low Cholesterol – Cottage cheese is low in cholesterol, which is good news for your heart.
• High Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – Riboflavin helps stimulate metabolism and assists in the digestion & absorption of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
• High Vitamin B12 – Cottage cheese contains a high amount of vitamin B12, which is required for normal function of the brain, nervous system and formation of blood.
• Low liquid Content Compared to a Protein Shake – The amount of liquid in cottage cheese is low in comparison to a casein protein supplement, which means you hopefully wont need to get up in the night

Cottage Cheese Vs Casein Protein Shakes

I’m sure a lot of supplement companies will tell you that their casein protein is the best supplement to consume before bed time, don’t get me wrong, casein supplements do a good job of keeping your body in an anabolic state during sleep there is no replacement for cottage cheese.

Just a quick post for all you gym lovers out there, about life in the gym. I was in the gym yesterday and just finished my first set of barbell squats.

As I was getting some much needed rest a friend of mine came up to me and said that his friends have been moaning to him, quizzing him on why he wants to go to the gym most evenings and lift weights, why on earth would he want to get bigger and stronger, why he doesn’t drink much anymore. I can relate to what he is talking about, I sometimes get asked this question and I’m sure you do sometimes:

“Why do you spend your life in the gym, why don’t you hang out with us anymore?”

Great question: why would someone want to spend their evenings pumping iron, getting stronger, fitter, more athletic, increasing their overall well-being, when they could just sit on the couch and watch mindless television!

Why should we bother eating the right foods to maintain a low body fat percentage, and consume large amounts of protein so we can build muscle, especially when we could just go to a bar and drink the night away!

Most people will put a downer on it because they think you are “obsessed” with lifting weights, obsessed with looking big, like there is something wrong with you, like you are a loser for wasting your life in the gym. My response is always the same:

“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe dedicated.”

After a few years of lifting weights or “obsessing” I’m sure your friends will change their attitude!

Happy lifting!

If like me you have been lifting weights for years you may sometimes feel like your being let down by your grip strength. Often when I do deadlifts, pull ups or any other pulling exercise I find it’s usually my grip that gives before my muscles.

To try and combat this I sometimes use lifting straps, whilst this does help when I lift heavy it doesn’t really improve my grip strength. Using lifting straps too often will make you become reliant on them not allowing your grip strength to improve naturally. Because of this reason I don’t use lifting straps if I can help it.

To improve my grip strength I perform a number of techniques that allow me to improve my forearm strength. Here is my top 10 list of the techniques I use to improve grip strength:

1. Use  the proper pulling grip – Make sure you grip the bar or piece of equipment properly, with your thumbs over the bar and aligned as shown in the picture on the right. make sure you grip the bar low in your hands, as close to your fingers as possible.

This is how you should grip a bar (image on the right) whenever you perform a pulling exercise such as deadlifts, rows or pull-ups and its important because it stops the bar slipping down your hands which can create calluses.

The image on the right indicates the correct grip position, which is closer to the fingers. Note: this grip position only applies to pulling movements, for pushing movements (such as bench press) you should place the bar where the red cross is located.

2. Chalk the hands – Weight lifting chalk improves your grip and keeps your hands dry, often when you lift heavy weights, as in deadlift, your hands will begin to sweat. Chalking your hands helps keep them dry, but its useful if you chalk your hands as the weight gets heavy, don’t chalk from the start of you become reliant on it, thus weakening your grip strength. Most gyms wont allow chalk, if they don’t you can use what I use, liquid chalk, which can be purchased from Amazon.com for under $20

3. Grip the bar hard – This may sound obvious but try to keep a constant strong grip on the bar at all times, gripping the bar as hard as possible will actually improve grip strength. When you grab the bar hard your knuckles will turn white, this is an indication that you are gripping hard, make sure you keep this grip throughout the pulling exercise.

4. Hold the bar to finish – When you have performed the last repetition you should hold onto the bar as long as you can, often when I am performing deadlift or pull-ups I will hold the weight in my hands for about 10 seconds. So in the deadlift when I have finished my last rep I will hold the bar at the top for about 10 seconds before lowering it back to the ground.

5. Use a thicker bar – Using a thicker makes your forearm more involved in the exercise, if your gym doesn’t have a thicker bar you can always purchase some fat gripz from amazon, these things are fantastic, they clip onto an Olympic bar making it thicker, just remember that using fat gripz you wont be able to lift as heavy as normal. Amazon.com sell these for under $50, I don’t personally own them but I have seen reviews on youtube and they seem like a very good idea

6. Use a Powerball – A powerball is a device powered by your wrists, it uses a gyroscope to move the ball, I own one and must say its very tough to use, if you can get over 15,000 reps that very good. You can buy these from Amazon.com for under $35

7. Plate pinching - Put two cast iron plates together so that the smooth side is facing outwards on both sides, then grip the plates hard and stand up straight. The aim is to keep hold of the plates for as long as possible as your grip strength increases you should be able to handle more weight, this is what a lot of strongmen do to improve grip strength.

Some people prefer holding a weight plate in each hand at the sides of their body, whilst this is effective its not as good as holding two plates together in front of you, as show in the image on the left. By holding the smooth sides of the plates in front of you allows for a greater weight to be help, making the exercise harder but also improving your grip strength at a faster rate.

8. Barbell Shrugs – Holding a heavy barbell through a set of barbell shrugs is good for grip strength, the grip is similar to overhand deadlift and requires concentration.

9. Rack Pulls – Rack pulls is a great exercise for increasing grip strength, simply set the safety pins in the squat rack so they are about inline with your knees, now place the barbell on the safety pins and load it with the appropriate amount of weight. Now begin to pull the weight up into the standing position, this movement is basically the top half of the deadlift.

10. Rope or towel pulls – Using a thick rope or a towel to pull a weight is a great way to improve grip strength, for example if you do back rows on a machine and often use cable handles, substitute them for the triceps rope. Likewise wrap a towel around the chin up bar in a way that enables you to pull up using the towel, both these methods rely more on your grip thus improving grip strength over time.

There is continuing debate as to how you should perform barbell squats, some people believe you should half squat whilst others believe you should full squat. I am a big believer in full squats and over the last few years have been performing full squats in my workout routines, I have seen better strength & size gains in my leg muscles and also increased flexibility.

However, some people say you should perform half squats as full squats are bad for your knees, some also say full squats are bad for the lower back. With this in mind I thought I would create this page explaining the differences between full squats and half squats. First though I think you should understand the importance of including barbell squats a couple of times per week into your workout routine.

Reasons to Squat

There are many reasons why you should be including squats into your workout routine, below is a list of what I feel are the most beneficial reasons, for a list of 100 reasons to squat checkout EliteLifts.com page

• Mass Builder - Performing barbell squats is a pure mass builder, this compound exercise involves several muscle groups: The quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, back etc, in terms of intensity the barbell squat is up their with deadlifts and I recommend to include it with your workout program if you want to put on size or increase strength.
• Good For The Knees – Over time, squatting below parallel will greatly increase the mobility of your knee joints (if done correctly of course), this is because the surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons become stronger, therefore protecting the knees.
• Releases Growth Hormone – Squatting causes a big release of growth hormone, because squatting is so demanding on the body it has to release a lot of growth hormone to cope with the stress. This will of course apply to other compound exercises, such as the deadlift, barbell bench press etc – See a study here on growth hormone release: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12905088
• Strengthens Your Core - Squats provide a high contraction of the core muscles, which will help improve your posture and balance long term, if you want a strong core, forget crunches and all those other crappy “core” exercises, stick to full squats!
• Improves Balance & Coordination - When you perform full squats your quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus contract, over time the strengthening of these muscles will improve balance in the legs.

Full Squats

Full squats are when you perform the full range of motion, when the hips go just below parallel with the floor, some people like to go ass to ground (ATG) and that’s fine providing you have the flexibility to do so without rounding your lower back, don’t sacrifice your lower back for the sake of more depth. If you don’t have the flexibility to go ATG then go as low down as comfortable, as long as its at least below parallel it counts as a full squat in my books

I think the biggest reason people do not perform full squats is because they believe its bad for the knees, sorry to say but this is wrong, full squats are actually better for the knees than half squats and that’s because full squats provide a full contraction of the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps muscles, allowing you to drive up to the start position using momentum in the leg muscles and not from the knees.

But don’t just take my word for it, here is a quote regarding full squats from the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NCSA), position paper, 1991:

“The full squat must be considered the cornerstone exercise, because it quickly stimulates overall strength increases in both men and women. Neglecting this exercise retards overall physical development and prevents the athlete from achieving optimal performance. Exercises that use a more complete range of motion at the knee joint may increase rather than decrease knee stability of the medial collateral ligaments and other ligaments.”

Half Squats

Half squats are when you stop before your hips are parallel to the ground. The problem with only performing half a squat is that when you drive back up from the bottom of the movement you are not fully activating the hamstrings and gluteus to lift the weight, therefore the momentum of the weight is stopped by the quadriceps and knees, placing undue stresses and shear forces on the knees.

Secondly, because the hamstrings and glutes are not as involved it causes imbalances between the hamstrings and quadriceps. The hamstrings are supposed to act as the antagonist of the quadriceps during a squat, but because the hips do not go below parallel this never actually happens. So if you were to continue training half squats for a period of time you would begin to see muscle imbalances between your quadriceps and hamstrings, which will also reduce your flexibility, not to mention your bad knees

Here is a quote about half squats from Dr. Mark Rippetoe: Strong enough, Thoughts from thirty years of barbell training, 2007:

“The fundamental misunderstanding here is about what we’re trying to accomplish when we squat. The quadriceps are not the only muscles that are supposed to be involved in the exercise. The hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh attach at the front of the tibia, at the bottom of the knee, wrap around it on both sides and pull back on the knee from below it as they get tight. The adductors connect the groin area of the pelvis to the medial (inside) aspect of the femur, and these muscles also pull back on the knee when they tighten, but from above the knee and toward the inside. Both of these muscle groups tighten from behind the knee as the torso leans forward, the knees travel out to stay parallel to the feet, and the hips reach back of correct depth, balancing the forward pulling stress from the quadriceps and the patellar tendon around the ront of the knee. But they only exert this balancing pull when they are stretched, in the full squat position“

So why would anyone want to perform half squats? Well half squats can be useful for strengthening your legs at the top of the movement and can really improve strength in your thighs. Also if you have a sticking point at the top of the movement half squats can really help with this as you can load the bar with a lot more weight.

Conclusion

Now you have all the facts I hope you will consider performing full squats when you next enter the gym. If you have been performing half squats for a long time or have never squatted before you will need to start light and work your way up.

I was working out in the gym the other day when I noticed a young guy, probably about 18 or so, he was barely resting between his sets and appeared to be lifting quite heavy weights for his size. I spoke with him and asked: “why are you getting minimal rest between your sets?” to which he replied: “Cos im trying to get a good pump so I can build muscle!”.

It amazes me why people get confused by the amount of rest they need between sets, so I created this page to help those looking for the real answer.

So How Much Rest Should You Have?

Lifting weights is demanding on the muscles, bones, nervous system and cardiovascular system, once you have completed a set you need a short rest to recover all of these systems. You may have heard many theories on the amount of rest time required, such as 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 seconds etc, but the amount of rest you need between sets is actually down to you.

That’s right, only you will know how much rest is required between sets, because it will depend on many factors, such as: Age, fitness level, recovery level, time of day, nutrition, energy levels, intensity of the exercise, the exercise performed, room temperature, humidity, your goals etc. All of these and many more factors will determine how much rest is needed between each set.

I know the above doesn’t give you much to go on, but there have been scientific studies showing that rest times of between 60-90 seconds appear to recover up to 90% of your muscles capacity to do the work. So it would appear if you stick to this range as a starting point you can’t go wrong.

Too Little Rest Vs Too Much Rest

You have to remember that too little rest is just as bad as having too much. When you don’t rest enough between sets your muscles will have too much blood and lactic acid in them, this will cause you to fail too early during your set. When you fail too early in a set due to lack of recovery its not your muscles that are failing, its the fact you cant get any more oxygen into the muscle, which means you will not build muscle as effectively as when you are rested.

When you have too much rest your heart rate will have slowed near to its normal pace, also your muscles & joints will have cooled down. When you begin the next set your heart rate will spike and your muscles & joints will have to quickly warm up again, this is bad for the heart and also putting you at a higher risk of injury.

Rest Between Sets For Hypertrophy

If your main goal is hypertrophy (also known as building muscle), you should aim for a long enough rest period so that you can begin the next set to momentary muscular failure, this means you complete the exercise until you physically cannot contract the muscle any more. A typical repetition range for hypertrophy is between 8-12 repetitions for each set.

Rest Between Sets For Endurance

If you are trying to lose weight, increase your cardiovascular or muscular endurance levels, then make sure you get the minimal amount of rest between sets to keep the “pump” going throughout the workout. Doing this will keep your heart rate up and vastly improve your muscular endurance, whilst making your body a calorie burning machine. A typical repetition range for endurance is between 12-20 repetitions for each set.

Rest Between Sets For Strength

If your main goal is to increase your strength you should aim for the maximum optimal rest between sets. The rest time for strength training will be the highest rest time compared to all other training types. A typical repetition range for increasing strength is between 3-5 repetitions for each set.

Pass The Time!

During your rest period you should be taking in some much needed oxygen, I personally find it helps about 10-20 seconds after my set if I just take a few deep breaths, this helps me mentally prepare for the next set. I also drink small sips of water if I feel I need it, I don’t drink water for the sake of drinking water and you shouldnt either. Also I don’t do any stretches between sets, doing so can make you weaker and more prone to injury when you perform the next set, so don’t do it, stretching is for after the entire workout! see my section on the importance of stretching for more info.

Lastly I just want to say that you should not spend your much needed rest time chatting to your friends or browsing the web on your cell phone, as nine times out of ten you will take a longer rest period than needed. Stick to staying focused, if it helps purchase a cheap heart rate monitor with a countdown timer on it, this way you can see your constant heart rate and use the countdown function to give you an idea of your rest times.